Show Iowa State's 2021 season will conclude in Orlando. The Cyclones were selected to the Cheez-It Bowl and will face Clemson for a 4:45 p.m. kick on Dec. 29. Iowa State has confirmed the game's details with the Register. While down this year, Clemson offers Matt Campbell's Iowa State program another opportunity to claim a bowl victory over a brand name program. Dabo Swinney's Tigers finished 9-3 this season. The bowl game presents Iowa State an opportunity to send a historic senior class off with one final game while also getting further experience for a group of youngsters that will work to fill their spots in 2022.
With so many seniors — 21 went through senior day festivities — and two potentially NFL-bound juniors in running back Breece Hall and defensive end Will McDonald, Iowa State may see some players opt-out of the bowl game to safeguard their health ahead of the start of their professional careers. Iowa State has never had a player opt out of a bowl game, but Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard acknowledged Monday during a radio appearance that some players may evaluate that option, which has grown in popularity across the country in recent years. More: Iowa State's Breece Hall is a two-time Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year It's also the chance to add another win to what was largely a disappointing season for the Cyclones, who opened the season ranked in the top 10 but sputtered to a 7-5 season with four one-score losses. The Cyclones had eight players voted to the all-Big 12 first team by the league's coaches, and Hall was named the offensive player of the year for the second-straight season. This marks a school-record fifth-straight bowl game for the Cyclones under Campbell, who is 2-2 in bowls after winning the Fiesta Bowl back in January. Campbell will certainly be a subplot of his own after his name was attached to a number of high-profile coaching openings, including USC and Notre Dame, both of which ultimately hired other candidates. The sixth-year Iowa State coach has often been the subject of speculation given his success at a traditionally difficult place to win, but has remained a Cyclone despite overtures from both the NFL and blue blood college programs. He has yet to publicly address reports of him being in the mix for jobs in this go-round of the coaching carousel. More Iowa State football newsTravis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.
ESPN will host the broadcast for the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl matchup between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Clemson Tigers. The game is set for Wednesday, December 29th at 5:45 p.m. ET. Iowa State (7-5, 5-4 Big 12) was a trendy pick to win the Big 12 and potentially contend for a Playoff spot heading into the season, but the Cyclones fell well short of those aspirations despite having a very balanced team on both sides of the ball. Clemson (9-3, 6-2 ACC) had a very down year by their standards, but the Tigers rallied to win their final five games of the regular season thanks to an excellent defense. If you aren’t around a TV to watch the Cheez-It Bowl, you can stream the game via WatchESPN or the ESPN app if you have a cable-login subscription. If you don’t have a cable log-in, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the primetime game. 2021 Cheez-It Bowl: Iowa State vs. ClemsonDate: Wednesday, December 29th
The Clemson Tigers are not in the College Football Playoff, and that’s a disappointing season considering what the expectations have become for this program under Dabo Swinney. The Iowa State Cyclones were a trendy pick to contend for a Big 12 Championship this offseason, and they did not come all that close to that goal. Clemson and Iowa State have a chance to close out the 2021 season with a Cheez-It Bowl victory. You can watch Iowa State vs. Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl on Wednesday, December 29th at 5:45 p.m. ET on ESPN. You can stream it via WatchESPN or the ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login. Odds: Point Spread, Totals, MoneylinePoint spread: Clemson -2.5 Cheez-It Bowl Betting splitsIowa State: (79% of handle, 77% percent of bets) Best BetPick: Clemson -2.5 Iowa State has the No. 7 offense in terms of yards per play against FBS opponents, but the best unit on the field will be the Clemson defense that will shut down the Cyclones offense especially without running back Breece Hall, who is getting ready for the NFL Draft. The Tigers offense is the reason Clemson fell short of their goals this season, but they scored at least 30 points in their final five games. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/MI/PA/WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA) or Call or Text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789. 21+ (18+ NH). NJ/PA/WV/IA/IN/CO/IL/TN/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.
Clemson’s first non-College Football Playoff experience in seven years will be a new one of sorts. The Tigers will face Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl, it was announced Sunday. The game will be played Dec. 29 at 5:45 p.m. at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. It will be the first-ever matchup with Iowa State for the Tigers, who were ranked 19th in the final CFP rankings released Sunday after finishing the regular season at 9-3. Clemson finished tied for second in the ACC’s Atlantic Division and did not play in the ACC championship game for the first time since 2014, which is also the last time the Tigers were not a part of the CFP. That season, Clemson routed Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl, which is the same bowl the Tigers will play in this season even though that’s not what it was called at the time. Initially created as the Blockbuster Bowl in 1990, the Cheez-It Bowl has had several different title sponsors over the years, including the Russell Athletic Bowl and Champs Sports Bowl. Cheez-It signed a multi-year agreement in 2020 to become the game’s latest title sponsor. Clemson has played in some variation of the bowl three times, going 2-1 in those games. The Tigers won their most recent matchup with a Big 12 team, knocking off Oklahoma in the 2015 Orange Bowl. This year’s game will come a little more than a month after the Tigers made easy work of South Carolina in their regular-season for their fifth straight win. They’ll try for their 11th straight double-digit win season against an Iowa State team that went 7-5 in the regular season, including a 5-4 mark in Big 12 play. The Cyclones have lost three of their last five games but handled TCU in a 48-14 win their last time out. Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
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